


Turning Slowly Away from the Moon

by achray



Category: Captain Marvel (2019), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/F, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-16
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-11-19 12:21:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18135689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/achray/pseuds/achray
Summary: "Do you remember the phrase, friends with benefits?”Carol frowned. “I don’t know,” she said, hesitantly.“Well,” said Maria. She shifted a bit. “That was kind of us. Back then.”





	Turning Slowly Away from the Moon

**Author's Note:**

> Missing scene from the film, written in a frenzy immediately after seeing it, and unrevised. More or less PWP with conversation, and in case it isn't obvious, the film is the only Captain Marvel canon I'm familiar with. Minimal to no spoilers. 
> 
> Title from Carol Ann Duffy, 'Words, Wide Night'

Carol leaned back on her elbows, looking up towards the stars. It was late, and the house behind them, full of people and Skrulls, was finally quiet. She took another sip, and frowned.

“Beer,” she said, experimentally. It certainly felt – familiar, bottle dangling from her fingers, sitting on the porch steps with Maria warm by her side; wasn’t there usually a thing, a white thing, which hummed?

“Of all the things I thought _you’d_ never forget,” said Maria, nudging her with her shoulder. “Don’t suppose you remember all those times you puked your guts out after five too many, with me there holding your hair back, either. _Good_ times.”

“When we did this – what was the white box, with an antenna,” – Carol gestured – “I remember a noise?”

Maria laughed, and Carol smiled at her, reflexively. “The god damn baby monitor,” she said. “I swear she woke up every half hour. We’d put her down, be out here, finally chilling, and just when it seemed safe to breathe – bam!” She shook her head. “Seems like yesterday, you know? You and me. First three years, you raised that girl as much as I did.”

Carol thought about Monica running to greet her, her absolute confidence, her trust.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “That I wasn’t here.”

Maria sighed. “I’m sorry too,” she said. “We got by, but we missed you. Every day.”

Carol leaned over a bit, so that her shoulder was resting against Maria. Touching people like this, sitting so close – it wasn’t usual, on Kree. Not that you didn’t _care_ for your teammates, but a certain distance was considered – respectful. This felt right, though.

There were a few moments of silence, peaceful. Carol drank a little more beer. It still didn’t taste especially appealing, and if it was supposed to have an effect, she wasn’t sure what it was. She could feel Maria breathing, beside her.

“Hey,” said Maria, after a time. “I guess you don’t remember much else about the year or so before you – before you died, huh?”

“Not so much, yet,” said Carol. “I remember you and Monica – maybe. Those photos, I can – if I think hard. I remember that you were my friend. My best friend, right?”

“Yeah,” said Maria. “Of course. Umm. Shit, I probably shouldn’t – I mean, I definitely shouldn’t do this, but – do you remember the phrase, friends with benefits?”

Carol frowned. “I don’t know,” she said, hesitantly.

“Well,” said Maria. She shifted a bit. “That was kind of us. Back then.”

Carol looked at her, questioningly. Maria was looking back at her. Her mouth twisted.

“You _don’t_ remember. Well, shit,” said Maria. She took a deep breath. “I’m not pushing or anything, but you’re going to be off on your mission and I might never see you again, so I got to say this before you go. You and me, we had a thing going on. Nothing big, nothing major.” She shrugged, “Just – two people having a good time together.”

Carol blinked at her. “You mean – ”

Maria turned away. “You’ve probably been getting it on with all sorts up there on, what’s it, Hala, it’s been years, I know - ”

“You mean we were – intimate?” Carol said, interrupting. That wasn’t the right word, that was a Kree word – English hadn’t quite, it wasn’t – “Sex?” she said.

Maria half-laughed. “Yeah,” she said. “That’s what I mean.”

“Oh,” said Carol.

Maria shifted so that she was turned to face Carol, surveying her, her face furrowed.

“Do you even remember, what you were into?” she said. “They take that from you? Because let me tell you this, all the years I knew you, I never saw you look at a guy twice. Two weeks before the crash, you made me go to _Mystic Pizza_ like _four times_. Julia Roberts? Playing pool?”

“I don’t know,” said Carol. “But I do remember – pizza? ”

“Fuck,” said Maria. She ran a hand through her hair. “This is _not right_ , you hear me?”

Carol looked at her. She _did_ remember this. She remembered that they’d sit like this, close, laughing, clinking their bottles together. She remembered the warmth of Maria’s arm round her, her head on Maria’s shoulder. She remembered – looking up, leaning over, meeting Maria’s mouth.

She remembered last week, idly watching Minn-Erva shaking out her hair, peeling off her costume, and then turning away abruptly, in case anyone saw that, in that moment, she hadn’t been thinking about the mission.

“No,” she said. “I _do_ know. Kree isn’t – I didn’t – but I still wanted, I know I did – ”

Maria looked a little less unhappy, though only a little. “What did you want, Carol?” she said.

Carol set her bottle down, carefully. Then she reached out and very gently stroked her fingertips down Maria’s face. Maria’s mouth opened, and she took in a breath. Carol wasn’t sure who moved first, but next thing, her mouth was on Maria’s, and they were kissing.

She hadn’t done this in a long time, yet it didn’t seem at all strange. It was like she’d kissed Maria yesterday, like they fit together, ordinary and surprising at the same time. Carol tried to press closer: she thought she could feel herself waking up, coming alight.

Maria pulled away. Her mouth was wet, she was breathing hard. She swallowed, before she spoke.

“I didn’t mean to – ” she said.

Carol wanted to kiss her again. She cocked her head, in a way that she knew, suddenly, that Maria liked. “Well,” she said. “I did. Mean to. I’m – “ she tried to recall how Maria had said it, “I’m _into_ women. I’m into you.”

“You sure?” said Maria. “Because, girl, I am up for it, but we’ve both had – a hell of a day, and everything must be pretty fucked up, for you.”

“I want to,” said Carol. “I haven’t, I don’t think, since – since whenever that was.”

“Uh-huh,” said Maria. “That’s some confession. OK. I expect I’m going to hell for this, but – “ She kissed Carol again, and Carol kissed her back with all the enthusiasm she could muster, which was considerable.

After some time, Maria broke off again. One of her hands was caressing Carol’s naked back, under her T-shirt, which felt amazing, the other was gripping Carol’s thigh, and Carol was starting to feel very invested in it moving upwards and inwards. She began to unbutton Maria’s clothes, reaching for her waistband.

“Wow,” Maria said. “Should we maybe move this inside? I mean, you were going to share with me anyway, since Fury’s in the spare bed.”

Carol licked her lips. She nodded. Maria stood and reached out a hand, pulling her up. They sneaked through the house, almost stepping on one of the younger Skrulls, who was curled up at the foot of the stairs, wrapped in a blanket. The fifth step, Carol remembered, creaked so loudly, when you were sneaking up, that sometimes Monica woke up. She stepped over it, carefully.

Maria’s bedroom was, like everything, new and yet the same.

“Shit, this is a mess,” said Maria, picking up a pile of clothes from the bed and dropping them on a larger pile on the chair. “Laundry, you know – well, I guess you don’t know– ”

“I don’t _care_ ,” said Carol, quiet but intense. “How about – you take off all your clothes?”

Maria turned and gave her a look. She put her hands on her hips. “Alright,” she said. “All coming back to you, is it? You too, then.”

Carol was starting to feel…desperate. She hadn’t know this was something she was missing, something she could have been missing, but now that Maria was right there, in the room, smiling at her and – and pulling her shirt over her head, unfastening her – her bra, her eyes intent on Carol’s – she wanted everything, everything she could get, immediately.

Her feet were already bare: she unfastened her jeans and kicked them off, hurriedly, and pulled her T-shirt over her head. Maria was staring at her.

“It’s regulation,” said Carol, defensively. “I didn’t have time to steal Earth underwear.” It had an extra layer of high-grade shielding against weapons too, though Maria didn’t need to hear that.

Oh, I’m not _complaining_ ,” said Maria. “As long as it’s not a fucking chastity belt, I am good with your – alien bra. Bra-thing.” Carol finally got it off, and Maria stopped talking, watching her.

“I’m six years older, you know,” said Maria. “Whereas you, Christ.” She waved a hand at Carol’s body.

“You look amazing,” said Carol. It was true. Maria’s long legs, her muscle, her full breasts – she couldn’t stop looking, and looking.

“Flattery, “said Maria. “Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take it. C’mon.” She gestured, and then climbed into the bed, under the thin sheet. Carol followed, shivering, though not from cold. She ran a hand down Maria’s side, tentatively and then more assertively, kissing her again. Maria’s hand was on her breast, fingers circling a nipple, and Carol gasped. She slung her leg over Maria’s and pushed against her, wanting.

“Mmmm,” said Maria. “It’s been a while for you and I’m just so – fucking grateful to see you, so why don’t you let me drive?”

Carol nodded. Maria gently pushed her over onto her back and then began to work her way down, kissing, stroking. Carol let her head fall back, and closed her eyes, blowing her hair out of mouth and then gasping, as Maria hit somewhere she hadn’t thought was sensitive. Maria’s hand was between her legs, stroking, and Carol arched into it, shamelessly. Somewhere she heard Yon-Rogg, lecturing her again on emotional weakness, and she flicked him away, letting heat spread through her, feeling herself groan and not caring.

Maria kissed her hipbone, and then her mouth moved lower, inwards, and Carol reached down to tug at her hair and move her to where she needed her to be. She felt Maria laugh against her skin and smiled: Maria _knew_ her, more than anyone else; she could let herself fly and Maria would still be there, with her.

Maria did something with her mouth, her tongue, and Carol stopped thinking clearly. She wasn’t sure she could have forgotten this, and certainly her body remembered how to move, what it wanted; though the astonishing pleasure she felt, pooling and rising, seemed entirely fresh. She shuddered, trying with what remained of her senses not to hurt Maria, to be careful, and also to remember that the house was full of sleepers, so she couldn’t scream; she bit her lip, and felt herself shaking apart.

Maria gentled her, still shaking, and slid upwards to kiss her. She stroked Carol’s damp cheeks.

“Shhh,” she said. “I’ve got you, baby. You’re here, you’re with me.”

“That was – ” said Carol. Her voice didn’t seem to be working properly.

“Yeah,” said Maria. Carol let out a breath, and kissed her, rolling her onto her side.

“Can I?” she said, sliding a hand down, between Maria’s legs, feeling curls, and heat, and damp, and shuddering again.

“Anything,” said Maria. “Fuck, this won’t take long, I always loved your hands – there, just like that – ”

It came easily – like riding a bike, a phrase that suddenly came back into Carol’s head, and made her smile again – touching Maria, stroking her, knowing exactly what to do to make her curse, and bite at Carol’s shoulder, and clench round her fingers. It was _deeply_ satisfying.

They lay together, after, breathing. Carol pushed off the sheet, sweat cooling on her skin.

“Can we do it again?” she said.

“Right now?” said Maria. “Jesus. Give a girl a few minutes to recover, can’t you? Just because you have – alien superpowers or whatever the fuck.” Her voice was affectionate.

“I have to go, in the morning,” Carol said.

“I know.” Maria leaned up on an elbow, stroked Carol’s hair off her face, ran her fingers through it.

“You could come with me? With us?”

“Maybe,” said Maria. “Let’s think about that in the morning, yeah?”

“Mmm,” said Carol. “I want – ” She tugged Maria down to lie on her chest, hugging her fiercely with one arm.

“Not much hugging on Kree, huh,” said Maria, yawning.

“No,” said Carol. She paused. “I’m never going back,” she said, realising, as she said it, that it was true.

“Agreed one hundred per cent,” said Maria. “I’m never _letting_ you. And if they want to take you, they’ll have to go through me first.” She let out a deep breath. “

I know you’ve got hero shit to do, I’m not a fool. I know you’re not going to stick around. But you’ll always have a home with me – with us – if you need it. You know that, right?”

“I won’t forget,” said Carol, and she held on tightly.

**Author's Note:**

> If you don't know the Julia Roberts scene I mention, then I _highly_ recommend [it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eli9oBpubqk).


End file.
